The West-Wide Governance Pathways Initiative could lead the charge on developing an alternative to the Western Resource Adequacy Program that would integrate with CAISO’s Extended Day-Ahead Market, according to co-Chair Pam Sporborg.

The West-Wide Governance Pathways Initiative’s Launch Committee will hire an executive staffing firm and is considering funding sources as it advances to the next phases of building the independent organization that will govern CAISO’s energy markets.

The West-Wide Governance Pathways Initiative’s Launch Committee Co-Chair Pam Sporborg said the stakeholder process of the new regional organization that will oversee CAISO’s energy markets is an evolution of the ISO’s Regional Issues Forum.

As long as entities across the West remain committed to continued regional trade, coordination, and reciprocal efforts to enable market participation, there can be significant benefits for the region at large, say Chris Robinson and Scott Simms.

The West-Wide Governance Pathways Initiative soon will begin the nomination process to select the initial board of the independent regional organization that will govern CAISO’s energy markets.

A wide variety of stakeholders — including representatives of the DER sector — will serve as advisers to the Pathways Initiative as it enters its next phases.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed into law the bill that will allow CAISO to transition the governance of its markets to an independent “regional organization,” along with five other bills related to energy and emissions.

With California passing the bill designed to transition the governance of CAISO’s markets to an independent regional organization, new challenges await the West-Wide Governance Pathways Initiative as the coalition seeks to turn a once-elusive goal into reality.

California lawmakers have passed a landmark bill that will allow CAISO to transition the governance of its markets to the independent “regional organization” envisioned by the West-Wide Governance Pathways Initiative.